Outside interference in internal affairs unwelcome, says Cuban ambassador

Re: “Canada should support Cuba’s transition to democracy,” (The Hill Times, July 21, p. 9). I am writing with regard to the op-ed on Cuba written by Andrew Caddell. It is so loaded with ideological prejudices, that, to say the least, it lacks total objectivity and credibility to make judgments about the recent events in Cuba. On Sunday, July 11, 2021, some incidents occurred in Cuba. It was not a "social outburst," but demonstrations on a limited scale in which people with legitimate concerns participated. However, provocative and criminal elements took advantage of them to commit acts of vandalism and violence in some places, as a result of which, unfortunately, one person died. These events were the result of a political and media operation that was not at all spontaneous, but organized and financed from within the United States territory, and that relied on the ill-intentioned use of social media and the propagation of false news and manipulated information about the true Cuban reality. Its goal was to create instability, present a collapsed country in chaos, and justify a foreign intervention at a time when Cuba faces great challenges. In the last year and half, Cuba and its people have been hit hard by the double negative impact of the pandemic—and its most recent outbreak—and by the unprecedented tightening of the illegal and inhumane sanctions imposed by the U.S. government on the Cuban people, even in the midst of the COVID-19 health emergency. This, together with the effects of the current world recession on commodity prices, the impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector, and our own internal deficiencies, has seriously affected the normal functioning of the Cuban economy, by drastically reducing income from exports of goods and services, and access to fuel, food, medicines, and medical supplies. The plan that led to the incidents of July 11 has failed. It did not receive the support of the majority of the Cuban people. The Cuban state and government are in full control of the situation. Today, peace and tranquility prevail in Cuba. The institutions continue to function normally, under the conditions imposed by the pandemic. The government has made a call to solve the existing difficulties among Cubans, without external interference, in order to make as much progress as possible in the sectors currently affected by U.S. unilateral sanctions, the pandemic and our own internal problems. Controlling the spread of COVID-19 continues to be a priority, in the context of the most recent wave that has led to an increase in positive cases, although the fatality rate of the disease is 0.68 per cent, one of the lowest in the world. The first Cuban vaccine candidate with proven efficacy, Abdala, of a total of five developed by Cuban scientists, has already been approved for emergency use as a vaccine. Mass vaccination of the Cuban population has begun and more than eight million doses have been administered. From outside Cuba, dangerous and irresponsible calls are being made to commit acts of sabotage and selective assassinations, and elected officials in the state of Florida are calling for military intervention, which would have unforeseeable consequences for regional peace and security. Cuba rejects any act of interference in its internal affairs, and reiterates its right to defend its integrity and sovereignty. Any attempt to alter the peace and constitutional order will have a proportional response, in accordance with the Cuban legislation and international law. Cuba has always been and will continue to be a country of peace and a promoter of solidarity and well-being for all the peoples of the world. Josefina Vidal Ambassador of Cuba to Canada Ottawa, Ont.

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Outside interference in internal affairs unwelcome, says Cuban ambassador

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